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Power Rangers Curse History The Power Rangers Curse is a Hollywood myth that began circulating in 2015 on humor and pop culture websites such as Cracked, and World of Wonder. Amongst the many “where are they now” clickbait articles circulating the internet, the Power Rangers franchise stands out due to the outrageous number of tragedies surrounding it’s cast. The unfortunate circumstances include premature deaths, automobile accidents, and two murder cases. In all, at least fourteen deaths have been associated with the franchise sparking rumors of a curse. Actors rumored to have died due to the alleged curse include: Thuy Trang, Erik Frank, Richard Rabago, Maurice Mendoza, Richard Genelle, and Robert L. “Bob” Manahan. Contents 1. Summary 2. Accidents a. Walter Emanuel Jones 3. Deaths a. Erik Frank b. Thuy Trang c. Richard Rabago d. Maurice Mendoza e. Alissa Ann (Smego) Bigelow f. Bob Papenbrook g. Richard Genelle h. Robert L. Bob Manahan 4. Murders a. Ricardo Medina Jr. b. Skylar Deleon 5. Miscellaneous a. Valery Anne Vernon b. David Yost 6. References 7. External Links Accidents Walter Emanuel Jones Jones played the character of Zach Taylor, the original "Black Power Ranger" in the Power ​ Rangers series. He was written out of the series midway through the second season, after a ​ contract and pay dispute. Rumors circulated that Jones lost his finger on set. Deaths Erik Frank: Died of a unspecified illness on April 16th, 2001. Played Tommy Oliver’s (Jason David Frank, the most prolific actor in the Power Rangers universe who has reclaimed his role of Oliver time and time again. He has been the Green Ranger created by Rita Repulsa from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, the White ranger in Power Rangers: Zeo and the Red Ranger in Power Rangers: Turbo. He even had a cameo in the new 2016 Power Rangers movie) older brother David Trueheart in Power Rangers: Zeo. When his brother died, Frank could not attend the funeral of fellow Power Rangers cohort Thuy Trang, whose funeral was happening around the same time that Erik Frank’s death had occurred. Thuy Trang: First victim of the Power Rangers curse. She was born on December 14, 1973 in Saigon, South Vietnam (now known as Ho Chi Minh City). Trang was a part of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers cast as the Yellow Ranger Trini Kwan. Trang was a part of the franchise through eighty episodes (two seasons) and one Power Rangers movie. She had left the show along with other castmates who were 2 of her close friends, Austin St. John and Walter Emanuel Jones. They all left because of contractual payment disputes. After she had left Power Rangers, the Yellow Ranger was replaced with Karen Ashley. Trang had appearances in other movies and TV shows after her long run on the popular kids show. However, her life was cut short in the form of a fatal car accident in San Francisco. It was September 3, 2001 when Thuy Trang was in the passenger seat of a car with friend and fellow actress Angela Rockwood when the car crashed into a roadside cliff and flipped over several times before breaking the guard rail and fall off. Rockwood is now a quadriplegic because of the accident. Members of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers cast attended Thuy Trang’s funeral except for Jason David Frank (Green Ranger), who sent his regards instead because his brother (Erik Frank) and another Power Rangers cast member had recently died as well. Trang was cremated on September 10, 2001 and her ashes are now at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whitter, California. Controversy However, in 2016, during the release of the new Power Rangers movie, the team in charge of marketing had made a joke in poor taste about Thuy Trang’s car crash on some of the promo posters of the Yellow Ranger, Trini, on her giant robot. The caption that went with the tweet said “Driver’s Ed not required.” Needless to say, fans were not happy with the mocking of Trang’s death so carelessly. Richard Rabago Richard Rabago, a skilled martial arts master who was even legendary in the martial arts world, was a fan favorite among Power Rangers fans as Master Lee. Rabago only appeared once in the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers episode titled, “Plague of the Mantis.” He died of an mysterious unspecified illness at 68 in Cerritos, California. Before his role on the kids television program, Rabago had parts in Even though Rabago only made one appearance in the franchise, the curse still affected him greatly. It shows that the curse affects even the people with the smallest of parts in the television show. Maurice Mendoza Mendoza played the potential love interest for Thuy Trang’s character, Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger. He worked as lovable teen character Richie who worked at the Angel Grove Youth Center. Even though he was supposed to be Trini’s love interest, he left after the 1994 season. Mendoza was only in the second season He was another castmate that passed away by mysterious circumstances at 39 years old. Mendoza’s role in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was the only acting role he ever did in his life before he died. Mendoza is another example of how even if a person has a small part on Power Rangers, whether or not the small part was recurring, they will still be affected by the Power Rangers Curse. Alissa Ann (Smego) Bigelow Alissa Ann (Smego) Bigelow. played Shawna in the 1994 episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers entitled: Forever Friends. She also started as the host of a web based cooking show called In The Kitchen for several years before becoming a yoga coach. Bigelow, had struggled with mental illness and had previously been hospitalized. On October th 5 2013​ her body was found in the back of her apartment where it was discovered that she had ​ committed suicide. She was 38 and on the cusp of managing a new Karma Yoga studio that was to open on Newbury Street. Bob Papenbrook The actor voiced Rito Revolto in the original series, Deviot in Lost Galaxy and played Mike the ​ ​ Fishing Shop Clerk in Wild Force, died of chronic lung complications on March 17, 2006 at the ​ ​ age of 50. Richard Genelle One of the biggest controversies in Power Rangers history was Richard Michael Genelle’s death in 2008. To understand why this took the power ranger scene by storm we need to first take a look at the filmography of this beloved actor and dive into the reasons why his appearance on Power Rangers from the years of 1993 to 1997 were so influential. As we have seen across the board, Power Rangers is a series that has surpassed the test of time. The series has gone on for decades and there is no end in sight. From movie deals to major toy production sales, Power Rangers is a powerhouse that can not be touched. Many franchises have attempted to recreate what this iconic series has to offer but most all have fallen short of this. In 1993 Richard Genelle took the stage on the season of Power Rangers known as Might Morphin Power Rangers. This series was comprised of 116 episodes for which Richard Genelle was in 104 episodes. It was clear to the production team that the actor was beloved and unchallenged in the character he played, Ernie. Before he joined the series the cast of Power Rangers seemed to be missing the happy go lucky type and when Ernie took the stage in 1993 he filled that void. Richard was an entrepreneur and an actor and was most known for the plethora of science fantasy roles he played in his acting career. When he stepped in as Ernie in 1993 the series saw such a huge outpour of support for his character that he was kept on with a large Hollywood contract (the likes of which most of the Power Ranger actors had not seen) for 4 years. Here is where things get interesting and to some extent creepy. As you have read above there are many connections to the Power Ranger powerhouse series and the mysterious death of multiple cast members, but Richard’s death really brought this to light. Richard shot his final episode of Power Ranger in 1997 on Turo: A Power Rangers Movie. This was a big production film for the Power Rangers series and Richard wanted to provide a big performance before his reign as Ernie was coming to an end. His final scene was shot in Corona, California which is a key part of this somewhat paranormal story. In his final scene as Ernie, Richard is seen to be having a light heart attack or panic as the cameras cut away from him and towards the Power Rangers as they take on “Turbo form”. Exactly 10 years later Richard died in Corona California of a Heart attackh when he was visiting family. It wasn’t until a cast member drew the parallels that media picked up on this story and reported it. To this day the spooky death of Richard Genelle which drew such remarkable parallels to the final episode he aired in is an unsolved mystery which most claim to be a simple act of God. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Genelle http://powerrangers.wikia.com/wiki/Richard_Genelle Robert L. "Bob" Manahan Robert Bob Manahan most famously known for his role as Zordon in Power Rangers was a famous American actor who was plucked for this universe at the ripe age of 43.

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